Will Samsung thwart iPhone 5 release?

Will Korea's Samsung Electronics spoil the long-awaited coming-out party of Apple Inc.'s iPhone 5, at least in Korea? A report on The Korea Times cited sources who said Samsung may cite patent issues in seeking a sales ban on the new iPhone. "Just after the arrival of the iPhone 5 here, Samsung plans to take Apple to court here for its violation of Samsung’s wireless technology related patents," The Korea Times quoted a senior executive from Samsung Electronics, who asked not to be named. But the report said the executive's remarks contrast with Samsung’s approach of not entering into a dogfight with Apple. Apple earlier brought up patent issues with Samsung’s Galaxy series of smartphones and tablets. But Samsung claimed Apple’s iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPad 2 violate seven patents related to its wireless technology. The Korea Times report said at least 23 lawsuits are pending between Apple and Samsung in such countries as France, Japan, Germany, Korea and the United States. "For as long as Apple does not drop mobile telecommunications functions, it would be impossible for it to sell its i-branded products without using our patents. We will stick to a strong stance against Apple during the lingering legal fights," the executive said. Affected telecom firms If Samsung manages to suspend the latest iPhone, it could affect SK Telecom and KT, Korea's top two mobile carriers authorized to sell iPhones. KT spokesman Lee In-won said KT will pay attention to the ongoing patent battles, while SK Telecom spokeswoman Kim Ji-won made no comment. KT and SK Telecom have sold some 2.7 million and 400,000 iPhones in the local market, respectively. Samsung's client Apple is one of Samsung's major clients as many of its i-products use Samsung flash memories. The Korea Times report said Samsung showed signs of changing its strategy after Apple won an injunction from a German court against the Galaxy Tab 10.1 last month. The injunction prevented Samsung from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany. Also, Samsung had to pull its latest tablet version of the Galaxy Tab 7.7, which has a smaller screen than the Tab 10.1, from its unveiling event during the IFA tech fair in Berlin this month. Samsung filed an appeal against the Germany ruling and a countersuit against Apple in Australia where the sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 have also been prohibited. Preemptive strikes The Korea Times report said Samsung is eyeing preemptive strikes against the iPhone 5. "We are taking different tactics since we are quite confident ... If Samsung wins in Germany that will give us a big breakthrough and so will other envisioned efforts against such products as the iPhone 5," said another Samsung executive on the condition of anonymity. Upcoming iPhone specs The upcoming iPhone uses LG Display’s liquid crystal display (LCD), Samsung’s NAND flash memories and application processors (APs) and LG Innotek's camera modules. It is also likely to have an 8-megapixel camera and an A5 dual-core processor. Yet, the report said there are chances that the standoff between Samsung and Apple may ease as Samsung is reluctant to make an enemy of Apple. "Apple is Samsung’s biggest customer. Hewlett-Packard (HP), Nokia and Sony were Samsung’s previous big clients, however, Apple is now a primary one. From our perspective, we are not entirely happy (about the litigations)," Samsung CEO Choi Gee-sung said. But Apple Korea’s representative Steve Park was not available for comment on the issue. — TJD, GMA News